Some parents may consider non-traditional pets easier to maintain. But these animals can pose health risks to families with small children, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.

Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caution parents, pediatricians, and veterinarians to be aware of the risks of exotic animals.

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics discussed the various diseases that can be transmitted to children when they come in contact with reptiles, rodents, mammals, birds, amphibians, non-human primates, and fish.

Reptiles such as turtles, lizards, snakes, etc., can harbor Salmonella infection, while rodents such as hamsters, rates, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs, squirrels, etc., can present Salmonella, plague, and rabies.

Fish often pass on pycobacterium, Aeromonas, Vibrio, Salmonella and Streptococcus infections, and cattle can spread E. coli infection and goats Cryptosporidium, E. coli infections and rabies. Poultry such as chicks, ducklings can spread Salmonella infection.

Parents are advised to never touch these animals or bring them home as pets and that parents should supervise children when they wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching any creature.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director, and Nancy Bruening, Executive Editor

Some pets can be dangerous to your health.

Posted: October 7th, 2008 under Diseases, Pet Diseases.
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A group of senators is seeking to block importation of livestock from Argentina until the nation’s beef and pork supply is free of foot-and-mouth disease.

South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson (D), and Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi (R), introduced legislation to prevent livestock importation from Argentina until the U.S. Department of Agriculture certifies that it’s safe.

“Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious and destructive disease, and we cannot risk the health of our livestock herds for questionable imports from Argentina,” said Johnson.

The region has suffered several outbreaks of the highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals like cows and pigs lately. The viral illness can be spread through even minimal contact with infected animals, farm equipment or meat.

Johnson and Enzi said they introduced the bill after hearing from fretful farmers and ranchers about the safety of their livestock.

The Department of Agriculture proposed last year to expand beef imports from one region of Argentina. The United States has been free of the disease since 1929.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, MA, Editorial Director

Foot-and-mouth disease is contagious.

Posted: July 11th, 2008 under Developing Diseases, Diseases, Hand Hygiene, Pet Diseases.
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A new parasite that infects animals — called the Myxidium anatidum — has been discovered by microbiologists at Oregon State University, according to a report in the International Journal for Parasitology. The parasite infects warm blooded animals – like ducks – and is said to have evolved from its relatives that are common in cold-blooded fish and aquatic worms. The findings raise concerns that the parasite may become more widespread, cause more health problems or possibly even move into new species. “This is pretty unusual to see a parasite group in a completely new host,” said Jerri Bartholomew, an associate professor of microbiology at OSU.New hosts often have little resistance to new parasites, researchers say, and the new species “Myxidium anatidum,” which appears to target the liver in animals, has already caused mortality in ducks. It was first isolated from a duck that had died of an unknown cause in a Southern California zoo.Myxozoa are a group of microscopic, parasitic animals that live in marine and freshwater aquatic habitats, and one or more species are found in virtually all fish. These spore-forming, multicellular parasites had been previously believed by science to be exclusively confined to cold-blooded vertebrates and invertebrates. The deadly “whirling disease” in salmon and trout is a myxosporean parasite, and it has caused up to 90 percent mortality in some Western U.S. streams.“It’s pretty clear it has now moved into warm-blooded animals, which some other research has suggested may include moles, shrews, and even humans with compromised immune systems,” said Bartholomew.

– by the Editors

 

New parasite targets ducks, perhaps people too. Source: International Journal of Parasitology.

Posted: March 27th, 2008 under Developing Diseases, Parasites and Lice, Pet Diseases.
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Veterinarians have diagnosed five goats from a Michigan farm with a fatal brain disease — similar to mad cow in cattle and chronic wasting disease in deer, according to press reports. Called scrapie, doctors detected the disease in a 3-year-old Nubian goat on a farm in Port Sheldon Township, said Steve Halstead, the head veterinarian in the Michigan Department of Agriculture. Vets have also diagnosed four other goats from that herd, including some that were transferred to other farms.

The disease takes its name from the tendency of infected animals to chew and scrape the wool from their skin. The goats in the affected herds were “destroyed to stem the spread of the disease,” he said.

“We’re not sure if it’s a virus, a protein or some other organism,” said Halstead. “There’s no indication whatsoever that humans can be infected with the organism.”

The disease is a contagious form of spongiform encephalopathy, and is noted for its degeneration of brain tissue. The killer infection can spread from sheep to goats and from goat to goat. The nation’s first case was diagnosed in Michigan in 1947 and it since has spread to 650 flocks in 42 states. It last was diagnosed in a Michigan animal nearly eight years ago.

As a result of this disease outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked Michigan’s designation as low risk for scrapie. Now,  any farmer who wants to transport a goat across state lines first must obtain a certificate of veterinary inspection or a health certificate, although other states could impose more restrictions.

– by The Editors

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/03/goats_with_contagious_brain_di.html

A goat diagnosed with scrapie.

Posted: March 6th, 2008 under Pet Diseases.
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A team of scientists has demonstrated that the rate of growth of new infectious diseases — HIV, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile Virus and Ebola Virus – is indeed on the rise.

Analyzing a total 335 incidents of previous disease emergence beginning in 1940, the study has demonstrated that zoonoses — diseases that originate in pets and other animals — are the most important threat in causing these new diseases to emerge.

Most of the diseases, including SARS and the Ebola virus, originated in wildlife. Antibiotic drug resistance has been cited as another fiend, leading to diseases such as extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB).

The team was led by University of Georgia professor John Gittleman and scientists from the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, the Institute of Zoology (London) and Columbia University. The doctors published their findings in the learned journal Nature.

The scientists discovered that more new diseases emerged in the 1980s than any other decade, “likely due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which led to a range of other new diseases in people,” says Mark Levy, deputy director of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESN) at Columbia University.

To predict and prevent future attacks, new computer algorithms were used to design a global map of emerging disease hotspots.

“This is a seminal moment in how we study emerging diseases,” said Gittleman, dean of the Odum School of Ecology, who developed the approach used in analyzing the global database.

– by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Posted: February 20th, 2008 under Avian Flu, Developing Diseases, Ebola Virus, Feature Stories, Infection Protection, MRSA, Morgellons Disease, Pet Diseases, SARS, West Nile Virus.
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Lack of legislation and insufficient support from veterinarians stationed at ranches and farms has led to a rise in zoonotic diseases – animal afflictions — afflicting humans. Cases of Brucellosis, Anthrax, avian flu, Shigellosis, ringworms, and Pneumocystis pneumonia and Rift Valley virus have become prevalent across the globe. According to Dr. John Munene, a veterinary surgeon and a government veterinary officer in Central Kenya and a member of the Kenya pharmaceutical society, the need for legislation, worldwide, to help arrest cases and outbreaks is required.

Malpractice leading to zoonosis includes the following:

•         Poor carcass handling practices
•         Consumption of meat and milk from animals with diseases
•         Handling and contact with infected pets

Right now, there are no proper legislative structures to advice on proper practices or risks posed by pets and domestic animals around the world. Laws which advise on malpractices, like carcass disposals, wildlife trade, slaughtering animals, and selling meat, resuscitations, use of skins and hides, sale and consumption of game meat are simply not effective in this regard, experts are telling Infection Protection.

Many ranchers, farmers, and natives are ignorant about zoonosis.
 

In Sub-Saharan Africa, communities slaughter, roast meat, drink blood and un-boiled milk, and use animal feces in construction of houses without consulting vet officers or public health officials. These practices are also commonplace in Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, and in the Southern African region. In the U.K. and Wales, abuse of voluntary compliance with the blood- borne pathogen standards, which legislates on proper medical waste disposal by veterinarians and farmers, has also led to these diseases.
 

Standard protection practices include the following:

•         Hand hygiene
•         Respiratory and facial protection
•         Bite and injury protection

 In Kenya, emphasis is on meat inspection and boiling milk. Commonplace measures in East Africa are as follows:

•         Quarantines in case of suspect cases
•         Meat inspection
•         Vaccination of animals and humans

Ryan Cheeks, a spokesman for the National Association of Veterinary Technicians, names death, sub-clinical cases, and disorders as outcomes of zoonosis. In the U.K., legislation to curb infection has been put in place. For example, measures include the following: education on pet handling and use of foam soap to wash hands after handling animals to avoid cross-contamination.

Doug McBride, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that, staphylococci and streptococci bacterias like Salmonella lead to gastroenteritis, an illness leading to more than 2 million sub-clinical cases of stomach pain in America.

In South Africa, Kenya, and the U.K., cases of drug resistant Salmonella Typhimurium, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Dermatophytosis (ringworm) were reported in 2007 and 2008. In Kenya and Uganda among the rural Pokot community, Anthrax, Brucellosis, and Shigellosis cases were reported in 2007 due to the archaic traditions in this community. Pet, poultry, and other domestic handling practices are being made compulsory by many governments.

The need for legislation is in line with the public interest and the safety and health of humans, experts are telling Infection Protection.
 

–by David James, International Correspondent 

A zoonotic disease. Source: University of Florida Summit on Emerging Diseases.

Posted: February 4th, 2008 under Avian Flu, Hand Hygiene, Pet Diseases, Pneumonia.
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More than 100 people have been hospitalized nationally in the largest recorded outbreak of Salmonella carried by tiny pet turtles, federal health officials reported Thursday.

Cases were reported in 33 states, mostly in Illinois, California, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Most of the patients have been children.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-salmonella_natjan25,1,7415257.story

Some patients have experienced severe symptoms from the turtle-bourne disease, including the following:

* Acute kidney failure.
* Bloody diarrhea.
* Cramping.
* Fever
* Vomiting.

No one has died in the latest outbreak, which began in August. Don’t buy a pet turtle now, public health doctors say. If you do, make sure you disinfect your hands frequently. – The Editors

Salmonella outbreak seen among pet turtles. Source: Marine Conservation Society of the U.K.

Posted: January 27th, 2008 under Pet Diseases.
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An parasitic infection carried by domestic animals — and sometimes spread to humans — may increase the risk of schizophrenia, a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry has found.

The study discovered that of the 180 study subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia, 7% had been infected with toxoplasma prior to diagnosis, compared to 5% among 532 healthy military recruits.

The 24% higher risk of developing schizophrenia among those infected with toxoplasmas may seem small but it is important because explaining even a small portion of the 2 million cases of U.S. schizophrenia could offer clues to the disease, the researchers said. The researchers said they will study whether aggressive treatment with anti-parasitic drugs affects progression of schizophrenia.

See,
 

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2008/01/17/schizophrenia_linked_to_animal_parasite/2615/

These findings reveal the strongest association seen to date by science between infection with this very common parasite and the subsequent development of schizophrenia. Infections with toxoplasma gondii parasite occur early in life following exposure to the parasite in cat waste or undercooked beef or pork.
 

- by Gene J. Koprowski, Editorial Director

Route of infection for toxoplasmosis. Source: Centers for Disease Control.

Posted: January 17th, 2008 under Developing Diseases, Feature Stories, Pet Diseases.
Comments: 3

The Associated Press reports: Canada confirmed a new case of mad cow disease on Tuesday, the country’s 11th case since the disease was first discovered there in 2003. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said no part of the cow’s carcass entered the human food or animal feed chains. The animal was identified as a 13-year-old cow from Alberta by the national monitoring program, which targets cattle most at risk for the disease also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy and has tested about 190,000 animals since 2003.

See,

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h2dGlhhWA9SzN1sH2R8h1vngI08AD8TK7S981

We understand that the mad cow, from an unidentified farm, was born before the implementation of Canada’s feed ban in 1997. Eating meat products with infected tissue is linked to a fatal illness, variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, that has killed more than 150 people worldwide.

– The Editors

Posted: December 20th, 2007 under Diseases, News, Pet Diseases.
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A group of more than 200 physicians and veterinarians met yesterday to discuss the “common infections” — including SARS, and bird flu – increasingly shared by people and their pets.”It’s not a lot of times that we do get to interact with veterinarians,” said Dr. Andrew Miller, a physician, speaking at the conference. “It’s the first conference that I’ve ever gone to in terms of infectious disease with two-legged people and four-legged animals.” The conference, called Pets, People and Pathogens, was on Zoonotic diseases, and was sponsored by the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association in Providence, R.I. Physicians said they recognize pets play a vital role in many people’s lives, but that people need education about some of the infections, like mad cow disease, that animals can pass on to their owners. This is especially the case for the ill — or for pregnant women.  “For example, somebody who has AIDS or somebody who is on chemotherapeutic agents for cancer, those people might be more susceptible to infections transmitted by animals,” Dr. Peter Karczmar, a physician, speaking at the conference, said.Miller said he’s seeing more zoonotic diseases in his daily medical practice. “I’ve seen toxoplasmosis, giradia, and Lyme disease,” Dr. Miller said. “This summer there was an abundance of Lyme disease — the most I’ve seen in my practice, particularly in cases that if left untreated, could have caused serious side effects.”According to research, about 51% of households own pets. Approximately 24.6% of household pets are cats, followed by dogs, at 21.1%, according to the National Center for Zoonosis Research. Goldfish come in third place — and are found in about 8.2% of homes with pets. More obscure pets include hamsters, which account for just 2.5% of pets, and guinea pigs, which account for just 1.8% of pets. Surprisingly, there are some 63% of diseases which are shared by humans and pets. “Human beings are animals, so every pet-owning household is a multi-species community,” said the National Center for Zoonosis Research. “We ought not, therefore, be surprised if animals sharing a habitat share some pathogens too.” The center offers some practical advice for consumers who have pets –  avoid bites, secretions and excreta; avoid fecal-oral transmission; avoid fish tank water. Remember, that many zoonotic diseases cause “no obvious clinical disease” in their natural host, the household pet. So wash your hands and disinfect them every time you interact with man’s best friend, as well as cats and other critters.   – by Gene J. Koprowski, Editor-in-Chief

Posted: December 5th, 2007 under Feature Stories, Infection Protection, Pet Diseases.
Comments: 3